1958 Austin

Description for Austin 1958

For bid is a great old 1958-67 Austin A 40 Farina – not sure if it’s the MkI model or the Innocenti Saloon. Made by British Motor Corporation (BMC).BARN FIND from an estate auction. Don'tknow much about it other than the owner said it was running when he brought it out to his farm years ago.Madein England.Appears fairly complete. All glass.Lots of parts, no keys for this car and NO TITLE.A foreign car dealer at the auction said this car was fairly solid for an Austin as the rocker panels show little to no rust.Wonderful gasser material!An addition to this car's history is the AC/DC badge on the driver's side front fender. Actual mileage unknown. WHAT YOU SEE IS WHAT YOU GET !!

A bit about the Austin A40 MkI:

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Austin A40 Farina (Mark I)

Overview

Production

1958–61 169,612

Designer

Pinnafarina

Powertrain

Engine

948cc A-Series I4

Dimensions

Wheelbase

83.5in (2,121mm)[

Length

144.25in (3,664mm)

Width

59.5in (1,511mm)

Height

56.5in (1,440mm)[

Kerb weight

1,764lb (800kg) approx

Presented as a saloon at the London Motor Show in October 1958, the A40 Farina was intended to replace the Austin A35, from which it inherited much of its running gear, and was a capacious thoroughly modern small car, with a brand new distinctive "two box" shape and headroom in the back seat. It was a saloon, the lower rear panel dropped like a then conventional bootlid, the rear window remaining fixed.

The Countryman hatchback appeared exactly a year later in October 1959, and differed from the saloon in that the rear window was marginally smaller, to allow for a frame that could be lifted up, with its own support, while the lower panel was now flush with the floor and its hinges had been strengthened.It was a very small estate car with a horizontally split tailgate having a top-hinged upper door and bottom-hinged lower door. October 1959 also saw the standardisation on both cars of self-cancelling indicators and the provision of a centre interior light and, in early summer 1960, a flat lid was added over the spare wheel in the rear luggage compartment.

At launch the car shared the 948cc A-Series straight-4 used in other Austins including its A35 predecessor. The suspension was independent at the front using coil springs with a live axle and semi elliptic leaf springs at the rear. The drum brakes were a hybrid (hydromech) arrangement, hydraulically operated at the front but cable actuated at the rear.The front drums at 8in (200mm) were slightly larger than the 7in (180mm) rears. Cam and peg steering was fitted.

Individual seats were fitted in the front, with a bench at the rear that could fold down to increase luggage capacity. The trim material was a vinyl treated fabric. Options included a heater, radio, windscreen washers and white-wall tyres. The gearchange lever was floor-mounted with the handbrake between the seats. The door windows were not opened by conventional winders, but pulled up and down using finger grips; a window lock position was on the door handle.

A de-luxe version tested by British magazine The Motor in 1958 had a top speed of 66.8mph (107.5km/h) and could accelerate from 0–50mph (80km/h) in 19.5 seconds. A fuel consumption of 38 miles per imperial gallon (7.4L/100km; 32mpg-US) was recorded. The test car cost £689 including taxes of £230.”